Abstract 671: CD38-specific engineered toxin body: Therapeutic potential for multiple myeloma

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of plasma cells that accounts for 10% of all hematological cancers. Current treatments for multiple myeloma include immunomodulatory agents, protease inhibitors and chemotherapies and, while these therapies are often initially effective, most patients experience relapse. New therapeutics are urgently required. CD38 is a transmembrane glycoprotein absent on most resting leukocytes but expressed on lymphoid malignancies, including multiple myeloma and lymphoma, making it an attractive target for directed therapy. Recent clinical trials with antibodies to CD38 have shown promise in multiple myeloma. While these antibodies rely on the recruitment of an immune response for cytotoxicity, we have developed an engineered toxin body (ETB) comprising a CD38 binding scFv and a de-immunogenized form of Shiga-like Toxin A (MT-4001) capable of specifically recognizing and directly killing CD38 expressing cells. Our results show that MT-4001 is a promising targeted therapeutic agent against CD38 positive cancer cells and is currently under further development. Citation Format: Sangeetha Rajagopalan, Brigitte Brieschke, Garrett L. Robinson, Jennifer Erdman, William Null, Jack P. Higgins, Erin K. Willert. CD38-specific engineered toxin body: Therapeutic potential for multiple myeloma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 671. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-671